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A report entitled "The SME Lending Market in Ireland and Comparisons with European Experience" was produced by DKM Economic Consultants for the Irish Banking Federation (IBF).

The report examines the evidence in regard to SME lending and access to funds for Irish SMEs. Also examined is the basis for evaluating the credit experience of Irish SMEs in comparison to the experience of SMEs in other countries.

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Today, DKM Economic Consultants released the September 2012 issue of Economy Watch.

DKM’s Snapshot of Economic Forecasts gives a concise but comprehensive outlook for the Irish economy based on the latest predictions from 14 leading sources, both Irish and key international bodies such as the IMF, EU and OECD.

The forecasts suggest that GDP will expand marginally again this year (1.1%) before growing at a faster pace of 2.3% in 2014. Growth will continue to be very much dependent on external trade as both public and private consumption will continue to falter. Domestic demand continues to struggle with a further modest decline projected this year for the sixth year in a row.

Click here for free access to Economy Watch.

The latest MyHome.ie Property Barometer, co-authored by Annette Hughes of DKM, shows that the rate of decline in property prices nationally has continued to moderate with prices falling by 1.8% in the first quarter of 2013. This compares with a fall of 3% in the previous quarter.

For the first time since the property crash in 2006, Dublin prices have remained unchanged for the second quarter in a row. The annual rate of decline in Dublin was 4.8% in the quarter, down from 12% in Q4 2012.

The figures show that the mix adjusted average house price nationally now stands at €197K down 52% from the peak of the market. In Dublin the corresponding figure is €236K, down 56% from peak.

The author of the report Annette Hughes, from DKM Economic Consultants said "at 4.8% the annual rate of decline in Dublin is about half the national rate. Overall asking prices in Dublin have been reasonably stable over the last year and this may indicate that they are now levelling off. Progress on addressing the mortgage arrears challenge over the coming months may lead to an increase in the number of properties coming to the market which may depress property prices further in the short term. This development together with a difficult budget later in the year would suggest property prices are likely to remain volatile through 2013."

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GeoView is a new publication that provides accurate and up-to-date data on the stock of Commercial Properties in Ireland. It was commissioned by GeoDirectory from DKM Economic Consultants. This report provides analysis from the most comprehensive national database of vacant commercial buildings.

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Housing affordability returning to levels last seen in the mid 1990s.

The cost of funding a mortgage, nationally, at the end of 2012, for the average first time buyer (FTB) working couple stood at 11.7% of their joint disposable income - significantly lower than the 26.4% recorded at the peak of the boom in 2006.

The average FTB property price nationally was estimated at €134,051 in December 2012 or 3.69 times average earnings. The corresponding estimate for Dublin was €170,114 or 4.25 times average earnings for Dublin FTBs.

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